Hi all,

Got my titration study (2nd study) back and was titrated at 12cm H2O.  My mean SPO2 was still only 90% though with the losest being 85%.  While it isn't to low, it is still lower than it probably still be.  I don't think it is alarming at all, but I did call the doc to ask his opinion of it and I am awaiting a call back.

What was your wake baseline?

I doubt that home oxygen is going to be his recommendation because of the stringent criteria to get that paid for by insurance companies.

Maybe BiPap?

Let us know what you find out!

It isn't the Sp02 dropping to 85% so much as it is the LENGTH of TIME and HOW MANY TIMES it dropped below 90%.


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It says I stayed between 85 and 90% for 2.73 hours and that I was between 90 and 95% pretty much for the rest.  Even at the time of being awake I never really got above 95%.  I am sure it is not that big of a deal.  Put it this way, I don't think I would get O2 and I would not want O2.

Ram, what good is a BiPAP going to do me if my pressure is 12, I wouldn't need the higher pressure and with the old machine I am temorarily using, there is no exhalation releif and I am doing fine without it?

Insomniyak wrote:

It says I stayed between 85 and 90% for 2.73 hours and that I was between 90 and 95% pretty much for the rest.  Even at the time of being awake I never really got above 95%.  I am sure it is not that big of a deal.  Put it this way, I don't think I would get O2 and I would not want O2.

Ram, what good is a BiPAP going to do me if my pressure is 12, I wouldn't need the higher pressure and with the old machine I am temorarily using, there is no exhalation releif and I am doing fine without it?

BiPap has 2 separate pressure, an inspiration pressure and an expiration pressure, known as IPAP and EPAP.

IPAP is a control of tidal volume.

EPAP is a control on functional residual capacity (FRC) and can improve oxygenation. increase FRC and O2 levels should also increase.


FRC you ask? Well, its just a fancy term for the volume of air in your lungs after expiration.

One more thing about your oximetry values. You would need to know the time that your O2 levels were at 88% and below to see if you met Medicare critieria for nocturnal oxygen. If that time is over 5 minutes, then it appears that you would be eligible. The lab that I am a part of does not use that as a guideline for techs, so I was off base by my comments on the difficulty getting approved. I posted the eligibility requirements in a separate thread.

I honestly don't think I'd need O2 in home, but that is good to know about the EPAP/IPAP,  I never thought of FRC being 'improved' by the reduced EPAP, but now that makes sense.  I would think they would wanna have me test with oximetry before they changed anything.  I will be going in for a follow-up in 4 to 6 weeks, but I am going to talk to the doctor next week about what he thinks or what his recommendations are.

How long have you been in this field anyway??  The tech I had was doing this for 12 years and has been on CPAP for 2 of those years.  Explains why he was so good and my titration was seemless.